Day 8: Butte, Mt. to near Portland, Or
We started to make the push onto Oregon. Earlier in the trip we had hopes of going farther north to Seattle and Glacier National Park, but we decided to make things a little easier on ourselves. Going that way would add 500-600 miles onto our trip. That could add an extra couple days we didn't really have to spare. So we promised to try and make it there some day. Riding on I-84 was awesome, especially since the sun was setting during most of the ride along the Columbia River. The same river Louis and Clark sailed down. I couldn't help but think of what a crazy trip they had back then and how easy it is to travel around now. This part of the trip sticks out as one of the highlights, and a feeling of accomplishment that we had almost made the coast.
Day 9: Mt. Hood and to Grandmothers House We Go
After snagging the last camp site at a KOA by the Columbia River last night, we woke up to another nice day. First thing after packing up our tent was to cruise around and up Mt. Hood. It's a very scenic place to ride as you can see from the pictures. We rode up to the lodge and took in the views.
Earlier in the week we had made arrangements to meet up with both sets of Alex's grandparents. So we set off to spend the rest of the day catching up with them and for some relaxing. They lived just west of Portland so we didn't have to ride very far.
Earlier in the week we had made arrangements to meet up with both sets of Alex's grandparents. So we set off to spend the rest of the day catching up with them and for some relaxing. They lived just west of Portland so we didn't have to ride very far.
Day 10: Oregon Coast
We spent the morning hanging out with Alex's grandma and Luther. We went to church with them and on the way back we stopped by an auto parts store and bought supplies to do an oil change for the bike. Luther's was kind to let me use his tools and shop.
Day 11: Oregon Coast, Sand-dunes, and Redwoods
So the Oregon coast is COLD!!!
Day 12: Northern/Coastal Redwoods in California
What can you say about the Redwoods? The pictures do a pretty good job at capturing how big they are, but you really have to go see them in person. I'm glad we had a wide angle lens. It really is just one of the coolest places to visit and hike around. The camping spot we got the night before was amazing. Right behind us was a stream and giant trees all around us.
For more pictures click here!